Letters
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) guaranteed home loan program plays an important role in providing guarantees for veterans and their families who might otherwise find it difficult to obtain a mortgage. To gain better budgetary insight about this program, which tends to perform better than other similar programs, Chairman Yarmuth asked that CBO undertake an analysis of the program.
SUMMARY: Preventive health care services can avert disease or lead to earlier treatment of diseases and other health problems, offering the potential to improve people's health and thus improve the quality and length of their lives. Chairman Yarmuth requested that CBO prepare a report that discusses how the agency analyzes both the short-term and long-term effects of legislative proposals that seek to improve peoples' health through policies that prevent illness and the progression of disease.
SUMMARY: The government shutdown of December 2018-January 2019 was our nation's longest shutdown on record. Because we have no precedent of a shutdown extending beyond several weeks, relying upon the cost estimates of previous shutdowns may understate the economic harm. To help Congress better understand the economic consequences of a prolonged shutdown, Chairman Yarmuth and Representative O'Halleran asked that CBO provide an estimate of the macroeconomic effects of the partial government shutdown.
SUMMARY: Some members of Congress are examining proposals to establish a single-payer health care system. To assist the Congress with that work, Chairman Yarmuth requested that CBO provide a report analyzing the design considerations that policymakers would confront in developing proposals to establish a single-payer system in the United States.